Victorious
USA |no_episodes = 50 |runtime = 23 min. |network = The N, Nickelodeon UK, Nickelodeon, YTV,... |first_aired = March 27, 2010 |last_aired = Present |nick_name = Victorious |imdb_id = 1604099 |tv_com_id = 78259 }} Victorious is an American television sitcom created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around aspiring singer Tori Vega, portrayed by Victoria Justice, who attends a performing arts high school called Hollywood Arts, while getting into wacky screwball situations on a daily basis. The series' pilot episode premiered on March 27, 2010 to high viewer numbers. Characters Main characters * Victoria "Tori" Vega (Victoria Justice) She's funny and talented and she's about to experience the biggest change of her life. Tori Vega is 16 years old and starting school at Hollywood Arts, where she'll practice her "craft" (acting, singing, and dancing), make new friends and make a new enemy. Though Tori was invited to come to the prestigious school, she doesn't get it. Her sister, Trina, has always been the star of the Vega family. When Tori finally does start to realize her own abilities, her life changes even more and in ways she never imagined. * Andre Harris (Leon Thomas III) André is Tori's soon-to-be best friend and he is an amazingly gifted musician. He loves to play for his friends. André is the guy everyone likes and respects for his obvious creativity. * Robert "Robbie" Shapiro (Matt Bennett) Robbie is a shy and awkward student at Hollywood Arts, so it makes sense that he is more comfortable speaking through a "dummy." Robbie is a master ventriloquist and Rex Powers is his puppet alter-ego and very hip companion. *'Jade West' (Elizabeth Gillies) Tori's nemesis and the main antagonist of the show, she is a dark and prickly girl. She is Beck's girlfriend. She becomes somewhat friends with Tori as the series goes on, such as asking Tori to help her get back together with Beck. * Catarina "Cat" Valentine (Ariana Grande) Cat is a super sensitive drama queen with flighty tendencies. She is guilty of being an over-actor and is always at level 10 emotionally. Though Cat can be a lot to handle, she is a close friend to Tori. * Beck Oliver (Avan Jogia) Beck is handsome, funny and down-to-earth. He is Jade's boyfriend and is close with Andre, Robbie, Cat, and Tori. Beck is also nice, sweet, and funny and always friendly to everybody, including those that he doesn't know so well. * Katrina "Trina" Vega (Daniella Monet) Is Tori's older sister by about two years. Though she is likeable, everything is always about herself. It's been like that forever and she truly believes stardom is her destiny. She overshadows Tori, thinking that she's more talented. The truth: Trina has the attitude of an A-list star but the actual talent of a much lower grade. Minor characters * Sinjin Van Cleef (Michael Eric Reid) is a dorky and somewhat creepy boy at Hollywood Arts. He has a crush on Jade, but she can't stand him. Sinjin was intended to be a one-time character, but Schneider enjoyed Reid's performance so much that he cast him in nearly every episode of the series. He is also the only non-major character so far to have a profile on TheSlap.com. His name is a portmanteau of Sen'jin and Edwin Van Cleef, both characters from the popular online game "World of Warcraft." *'Mr. Sikowitz' (Eric Lange) is the school's barefoot acting teacher. He has strange methods of teaching. Tori (and possibly everyone else) believes he is crazy. He also loves drinking coconut milk because it gives him "visions." Now he has a profile on The Slap. *'Mr. and Mrs. Vega' (Jennifer Carta and Jim Pirri) are Tori and Trina's parents. They have been seen in the episodes Pilot and The Birthweek Song. Although Tori and Trina Vega's mom has been featured in more episodes than their father, she was recently seen in the episode Robarrazzi. They are depicted as typical parents from a teenager's point of view: caring parents that look after their kids, but can be embarrassments sometimes. In "Pilot" & "The Birthweek Song," Tori revealed that her dad is a cop. *'Mamaw' (Renée Taylor) is Robbie's eccentric grandmother. The character references Renée Taylor's performance as Fran Drescher's mother on the television show The Nanny, with both characters yelling at their husband Morty. She is extremely critical of everyone and has been seen getting involved in the romances of her grandson Robbie. Another interesting parallel between the two shows is the apartment in which Mamaw lives. It resembles the apartment her character lived on The Nanny; the furniture placement is very similar as well as the apartment set up. *'Lane' (Lane Napper) is the school guidance counselor. He often helps resolve problems and catches students who ditch classes. Production Victorious is the sixth series created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon, following Kenan & Kel, The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, and iCarly. Schneider first met Justice in 2005, when she was twelve and arrived to audition for the part of Lola Martinez on Zoey 101. Impressed by her energy and look, Schneider hired her and, after working with her on three episodes, called Nickelodeon to say, "I’ve got your next star." Justice continued her role on Zoey 101 until the series ended in 2008. In the meantime, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon's main competitor, had experienced immense success with franchises like Hannah Montana and High School Musical, which featured original songs and generated revenue through music as well as television. Seeking to "follow where the kids are", Nickelodeon executives asked Schneider to create a music-based show for the channel. Near the end of Zoey 101Template:'s run, Justice was summoned to meet with Schneider about a potential series starring her. While discussing possible concepts for the series during the meeting, Justice mentioned that she had attended a performing arts middle school. The idea intrigued Schneider, who recognized the appeal of series concerning fame. "If there is anything I've learned about kids today—and I'm not saying this is good or bad—it's that they all want to be stars," said Schneider.Marjorie Cohn, who was then Nickelodeon's executive vice president of original programming and development, agreed. "Every kid thinks they're five minutes away and one lucky circumstance from being famous," Cohn stated. She noted that Schneider's iCarly, a sitcom about a girl who hosts a popular web show, was spurred by the rise of YouTube celebrities and had become a successful show for Nickelodeon. On August 13, 2008, Nickelodeon announced that Justice had signed "an overall talent and music deal" with the company, agreeing to star in a then-untitled musical-comedy series about a girl who attends a performing arts high school. While discussing the show's premise, Schneider stated that while it would be nice if more children "wanted to be teachers and social workers" instead of celebrities, "At least in 'Victorious,' you see a world where they're all working on the talent part." Nickelodeon Productions and the Columbia/Epic Label Group of Sony Music Entertainment agreed to co-produce the series as part of a partnership to develop talent and release their music. Reception Critical reception The series as a whole earned generally mixed to negative reviews. Variety magazine reviewer Brian Lowry wrote, "Victorious has been cobbled together with the wooden-headed market in mind." David Hinkley of the New York Daily News says the series' format is nearly identical to iCarly and hopes that the series will develop a "more distinctive personality" over the course of the season. Roger Catlin of the Hartford Courant describes Victorious as "harmless but hardly entertaining". Mark A. Perigard of the Boston Herald titled his review "Victorious is a big loser" and writes, "The bulk of the cast mugs for the cameras, probably to compensate for a script that could have been commissioned from fifth-graders." Linda Stasi of the New York Post was mixed; she agreed that the episode contained over-acting performers, "corny" dialogue and a "terribly, terribly loud laugh track", but believed it was "a 'surefire tween hit". However, reviewers were positive about Justice's performance and suggested that series' potential hinged on her. Hinkley comments, "At this point, Justice is better at singing than acting, and the show doesn't flow as smoothly as iCarly," but Justice "has the personality and talent" needed for a shot at being "the Next Big Teen Thing". Perigard describes her as "undeniably appealing" and Lowry states, "Justice is winsome and talented enough to provide the latest show a leg up in connecting with tween girls." Viewership The series premiere did well among viewers. The pilot episode, advertised as a "sneak preview" of the series, aired after the 2010 Kids' Choice Awards on March 27, 2010 to 5.7 million viewers. This audience made Victorious Nickelodeon's highest rated live-action series debut. VictoriousTemplate:'s second episode was advertised as the series' official premiere and drew 3.48 million viewers. By comparison, Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush received 3.5 million viewers for its "sneak preview" debut in November 2009, and 6.8 million viewers for its "premiere" in January 2010. On June 4, 2010, the episode "Robarazzi" became the most watched episode of the series to date, with 5.9 million total viewers, including 3.3 million in the Kids 6-11 demographic, and 2.2 million in the Tweens 9-13 demographic. Awards Episodes Filming began on October 5, 2009 and ended on April 14, 2010.Victoria Justice's Official twitter account, confirming completion of season 1. 20 episodes were produced for the show's first season.Nick, Sony Music will duet for comedy ''iCarly'' & Victorious crossover special Dan Schneider the creator of iCarly and Victorious has confirmed via his Facebook and Twitter that a crossover special between the two shows are now completed, as of August 29th 2010. Later that night the script was sent out and the following day it went into production. Production will last about 3 weeks long. The episode will air sometime late 2010 or early 2011, It will be a 3-part episode. Music Cd Name: Make It Shine Cover Picture: Artist: Victoria Justice Album: Victorious (soundtrack) Released: Recorded: 2010 Genre: Pop rock, dance-pop, powerpop Label: Nickelodeon Records, Columbia Records Writer: Victoria Justice, Dr. Luke, Michael Corcoran Producer: Dr. Luke Chronology: Victoria Justice singles This single: "Make It Shine" (2010) Next single: "Finally Falling" (2010) "Make It Shine" is the theme song for Victorious, and is performed by Justice. It was co-written by Justice, Dr. Luke and Michael Cororan and released as Justice's debut single on April 13, 2010. The song is an up-tempo power-pop song with elements of dance and rock . The song has peaked at #16 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. Victorious features approximately one song every three episodes. This far, the songs that have been featured in Victorious are "You're the Reason" ("Birthweek Song") and "Finally Falling" ("Tori the Zombie"). International release References External links * * * Victorious Show page at Nick.com * Victorious Wiki